Think a lot will be dependent on if they are going to force the playerbase to regrind new weapons at each expansion. Given that there is supposedly a ten year plan I think some will just wait till the tenth year. The people joining in on the tenth year will have gear already at levels higher than people that acquired the best Raid gear years previous. This is why I hope they keep ascension in the game and turn focus to better weapon design on new weapons rather than nerfing the old weapons or keeping them at low levels. If they want people to use new gear then give them something better than shank and dreg burn. People want stuff they can use. Servitor burn, wizard burn, tank burn, sidearm with regenerating ammo, and armor with increased shield regeneration perks or health perks. There is plenty of stuff you can do with new gear to entice people to use it.